Math whiz kids at New River Elementary
New River Elementary students have won first place in Pasco County for the third consecutive year in a competition to solve mathematical problems.
The school, located in Wesley Chapel, was named top school (K-8) in the county, in the national First in Math program.
New River also had the best fifth-grade team, third-grade team, second-grade team and combined kindergarten and first-grade team.
In this program, students practice their problem solving skills , while earning virtual stickers. The stickers add up to points and students are awarded “Player of the Day” recognition.
Assistant principal Clara Craig also awarded the Golden Calculator weekly to teams achieving significant growth.
Individual students at New River also were recognized for their achievements. They were: Brig Rufe in fifth-grade; Davien Worrels in third-grade; and, Beck Rufe in first grade.
Brig Rufe was the top overall player in Pasco County and No. 10 in the state.
The students at New River solved a total of more than 1.8 million math problems correctly.
PHCC named among top 120
The Aspen Institute College Excellence Program has named Pasco-Hernando Community College among the nation’s top 120 community colleges, making the college eligible to compete for the $1 million Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence.
The Aspen Institute identified the 120 community colleges—10 percent of all institutions—using a formula that assesses performance and improvement in four areas: graduation rates, degrees awarded, student retention rates, and equity in student outcomes.
The colleges will now compete for the honor following a yearlong research process into how well their students learn, complete degrees, and get jobs with competitive wages after graduating. Prizewinners will be announced in March.
For more information on the Aspen Institute, visit www.aspeninstitute.org.
Land O’ Lakes Christian wins honors at national contest
Students from Land O’ Lakes Christian School fared well in the 35th annual American Association of Christian Schools (AACS) National Competition held at Bob Jones University in Greenville, S.C. in April.
An estimated 1,800 students and sponsors from 47 states participated in the AACS National Competition, after capturing top honors in their state competitions.
These awards were won by Land O’ Lakes Christian School students:
–First place: Olivia de la Rosa, Bible teaching
–First place: Katie Frazier, creative writing: poetry
–First place: Jared Mancini, declamation
–Third place: Vickie Frazier, oil painting
–Third place: Tim Pemberton, physics testing
Jared Mancini also had the honor of presenting his winning piece before the awards night crowd of more than 3,000.
John Long Middle sixth-graders win second place
The John Long Middle School’s sixth-grade team took second place at the Pasco County Math Bowl competition, and Jackson Trudel took second place individually.
The eighth-grade team came home with third-place honors.
The school also extends its gratitude for the Parent Teacher Student Association for helping John Long Middle to have a great year.
Student Pride awards breakfast
The Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce and Mini of Wesley Chapel presented the Student Pride Awards Breakfast to honor outstanding students and athletes from each school in Wesley Chapel.
During the breakfast, the chamber presents scholarships to seniors who have been selected from their schools. This year, 121 students from the 12 Wesley Chapel schools were recognized for their outstanding performance.
The breakfast was held May 1 at the Wesley Chapel Center for the Arts at Wesley Chapel High School.
Four $500 academic scholarships were awarded. They went to David Santacruz and Stephanie Collin, of Wesley Chapel High and Logan Klauder and Fern Powell from Wiregrass Ranch High.
There were four $250 athletic scholarships. They were presented to the athletes of the year from Wesley Chapel High, Keegan Tanner and Ravin Gilbert and Wiregrass Ranch High, Victoria Quaglia and Samuel Hippely.
This year’s scholarships came from Mini of Wesley Chapel, Ierna’s Heating and Cooling, Nova Southeastern University, Wesley Chapel Storage, Tampa Bay Times, Cypress Creek Chiropractic and the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce.
/Lutz woman graduates from Clearwater Christian College
Patricia Buriff of Lutz has graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Bible studies from Clearwater Christian College in Clearwater.
Patricia is the daughter of Brent and Deborah Buriff, also of Lutz.
MOSI offers price breaks on camps
With just a few weeks left until summer break, the Museum of Science & Industry is offering a 10 percent discount on its Summer Science Camps.
The camps offer hands-on experiments and projects to teach children the wonder of science, technology, engineering and math.
Those taking part will have a chance to build roller coasters, create art with lasers, participate in a battle at Hogwarts, decipher DNA to solve crimes or cook up edible slime, depending on their age group and the week they attend.
Summer camp sessions are available to children in preschool through high school. Multiple week and multiple child discounts are available. Extended care and hot lunches are offered for an additional fee.
The camps begins on June 11. Registration is available at www.mosi.org.
Evening of Honor
The annual Honor Day for all African-American Honor Roll students of Pasco County is scheduled for 5 p.m. May 26 in the Center for the Arts auditorium at Wesley Chapel High, 30651 Wells Road.
Each student in grades six through 12 who made the honor roll for any of the first three reporting periods is invited to attend to receive a certificate of recognition. Honor roll students also are encouraged to invite family, friends, neighbors and classmates to the ceremony.
The celebration is open to the public. Refreshments will be served following the program.
For more information, visit HonorDayPasco.org or contact Pastor Mitchell Davis at (813) 996-4168.
